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Research Proposal Prompt

This document provides a prompt for a research proposal assignment. Students are instructed to submit a proposal by March 8th that includes: 1) a working title for their research paper, 2) their research question/topic, 3) why the topic is important to them, 4) whether the paper will be argumentative or analytical, 5) their research question(s) and anticipated answer(s), 6) relevant background, 7) significance of the topic, 8) description of planned research methods, 9) anticipated challenges and solutions, and 10) a tentative reference list with at least 15 sources in MLA format. The proposal must follow the specified format.

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410 views

Research Proposal Prompt

This document provides a prompt for a research proposal assignment. Students are instructed to submit a proposal by March 8th that includes: 1) a working title for their research paper, 2) their research question/topic, 3) why the topic is important to them, 4) whether the paper will be argumentative or analytical, 5) their research question(s) and anticipated answer(s), 6) relevant background, 7) significance of the topic, 8) description of planned research methods, 9) anticipated challenges and solutions, and 10) a tentative reference list with at least 15 sources in MLA format. The proposal must follow the specified format.

Uploaded by

missariadne
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Wilber

English 201

RESEARCH PROPOSAL PROMPT


DUE DATE: Thursday, March 8

For this assignment, you will be telling me how you will go about
conducting your research. Follow this prompt in order, answering each
topic with a substantive answer. By the time you are done with our
week of library research, you should have plenty of ideas about you want to conduct you
research!

Title of Project: Give your project a working title, which may or may not become the
title of your paper.

Subject of my paper: What is the broad topic that contains the issue your plan to
research? This is your “research question.” Your thesis will branch off of this question.

Why this topic is important to me: If you do not care about your topic, chances are your
incentive to write about the subject will be weak. If you are interested in the topic you
will probably write a better paper. So choose something that interests you, something
you are passionate about.

Statement of Purpose: Clearly state whether your research paper will be argumentative
or analytical. Explain what you hope your research will find or show. State your
question or series of questions before you begin your research. After you have conducted
significant research you should be able to answer your question(s) in one or two
sentences, which may become the thesis of the final paper.

Background: Explain your interest in and experience with this topic. Describe any
previous research you have conducted on this or related topics, any classes you have
taken on this or related topics, or any reading you have already done in the field. If you
have personal experience that has led you to want to do more research, describe that here
too.

Significance: Explain why this topic is worth considering, or why this question or series
of questions is worth answering. Answer the following questions: why should your
instructor let you select this topic? What do you hope to learn from it? What will this
new knowledge add to the field of knowledge that already exists on this topic? What new
perspective will you bring to the topic? What use might your final research paper have for
others in this field or in the general public? Who might you decide to share your findings
with once the project is complete?

Description: Describe the kind of research you will conduct to complete this project
(library research, internet research, interviews, observations, etc.). Please be very
detailed about this so that I may see if you are on the right path to finding the answers for
your research questions.

Methodology: Explain how you will conduct your research in as much detail as possible.
Wilber
English 201
If you will consult others (such as a statistician, expert in the field, or a librarian) explain
what role they will serve and how you hope they will enhance your development of an
appropriate methodology for this project. Discuss the kinds of sources you hope to
consult and the methods you will use to extract and process the information you gather in
as much detail as is possible at this stage. (As the project is underway you might find the
need to revise your methodology, explore new types of source material, and/or adopt new
methods of gathering and processing data.

Problems: Describe the problems you expect to encounter and how you hope to solve
them. Try to imagine every possible problem and come up with a contingency plan so
that the project doesn't become derailed.

Tentative list of references: Make a list of texts you plan to consult. Use MLA format.
You should aim to make a list of at least 15 potential sources (20 is better), which you
will then narrow down as you conduct the research. These need to be RELEVANT
sources, i.e., peer-reviewed journals, objective and scholarly websites, etc. Magazines,
newspapers, etc, are not appropriate here.

Many sources initially seem relevant, but turn out not to be, so it is always better to list
all sources that might be of interest. As you eliminate sources, cross them off of this list.
Mark sources that are particularly useful, and add new sources as you come across them.
This will enable you to make a Works Cited list at the end of your project (i.e.: a list of
only the works you have summarized, paraphrased, or quoted from in the paper.)
ATTACH COPIES OF AT LEAST FIVE OF YOUR SOURCES TO YOUR PROPOSAL.

DUE DATE: Thursday, March 8th, 2007

Format: Follow the format in this prompt. Your proposal will be typed, double-spaced,
12-point Times New Roman Font, and have one inch margins. Left-justify and underline
the subject headings, do not bold. Begin typing your information on the line immediately
below the subject heading—no extra spaces. Make sure you have a header (right
justified) with your last name and page number.

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